A $24 million proposal to pay for the moves of Denver’s 911 dispatch center and fleet services to new buildings is expected to win easy approval Monday from the City Council.

The arrangement would be the latest use of a “lease-purchase” deal in place of traditional borrowing or dipping into reserves. The move allows city officials to raise cash upfront without the need to ask voters to approve debt under the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

Under the council proposal, Denver would budget $1.5 million to $2 million a year for up to 20 years to pay off investors who buy certificates of participation.

As collateral, the city would put three fire stations and the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library into a lease arrangement that could be used to pay off investors if needed.

To meet growing call volume and safety and security requirements, the city plans to move the 911 Communications Center from central Denver to an existing call center it will renovate at 12025 E. 45th Ave. That project’s cost is estimated at $23 million, with $18 million from the proposed financing and $5 million paid from a fund that receives 911 surcharges on all phone bills.

The Fleet Services Center will move from RiverNorth to make way for riverfront improvements. The new building at 2100 31st St. will accommodate auto repair for police, fire and parking enforcement vehicles, as well as tech services for vehicle radios. The proposed financing would cover most of the $5.8 million cost.

The council gave initial approval last week 11-1.

Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz cast the “no” vote after comparing such deals to “shadow debt” that skirts voters’ ability to weigh in. The city should save up for smaller projects, she said.

“This isn’t just a little thing,” she told her colleagues. “We have substantial (certificates of participation) debt. And it is, folks, debt.”

As of last August, the city owed $410 million on other certificates of participation, more than half for the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building downtown.

By comparison, the city owed $867.6 million on general obligation bond debt approved by voters. The city currently holds a AAA bond rating by the three national rating agencies.

Other council members and city officials defend the proposal as a prudent way to solve the need to move each building, especially since the city will pay off some previous deals in five or six years.

“Interest rates continue to be extraordinarily low,” Councilwoman Robin Kniech said last week. “And so we can either make choices between key infrastructure (projects) in one part of the city and a 911 call center, or we can take advantage of very low interest rates and go ahead and pay through a very, very modest arrangement and get both done at the same time.”

The city would receive up to $24 million upfront for the projects. Officials estimate that payments through 2034, including interest, would total $33.4 million.

Jon Murray is The Denver Post's city hall reporter. His coverage focuses on Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, the workings of the City Council and city's government interactions with Denver's people, from neighborhood issues to regulation of the marijuana industry. A Colorado native, he joined The Denver Post in 2014 after reporting on city government and the legal system for The Indianapolis Star.

More Republicans are telling President Donald Trump in ever blunter terms to lay off his escalating criticism of special counsel Robert Mueller and the Russia probe. But party leaders are taking no action to protect Mueller, embracing a familiar strategy with the president — simply waiting out the storm.

President Donald Trump's attorneys have provided the special counsel's office with written descriptions that chronicle key moments under investigation in hopes of curtailing the scope of a presidential interview, according to two people familiar with the situation.